Divination

For centuries humans have pursued the idea of divination, the idea that you can discern information without prior knowledge usually through means that rely on supernatural explanations.  For me personally I never really liked the term supernatural as it conjures up images of super heroes and of magic and things which cannot be explained.  I choose to take a different view of the concept of divination.  When we talk about human knowledge there are two types in traditional philosophy centred around thought, those are a priori and a posteriori knowledge.  A priori refers to knowledge that is formed prior to experience - in other words logical deductions and reasoning that is not based on observation or experience.  A posteriori refers to knowledge that is formed after experience -  in other words conclusions and assessments that can be made based on experience and the result of experimentation.

Related to both of these terms however is a third type of knowledge and that is epiphanic knowledge.  This is most closely related to a priori as it deals with the sudden realisation of truth in a moment of epiphany - although there is no real source of that knowledge in that moment it is simply the human mind forming connection between existing concepts in our minds that were separate followed by the sudden explosion of neural connections established as the two distinct concepts start to "click" into place and the connections between the two become concrete.

The study of divination as an art form is perhaps better explained as the pursuit of knowledge driven by emotion rather than reason, in the hope that it will deliver conclusions that are later reinforced with logic and reason.  In other words you dream things up and then make them a reality when the opportunity presents itself.  Create weird and wild theories as to why things look or act a certain way and throw them out there for others to investigate and see which ones come back to you with evidence that actually backs it up.  To reduce it to its most basic terms you're throwing things at a wall to see what sticks. 

The ability to abandon all logic and reason and pursue pure emotion alone is somewhat coveted.  This is perhaps why there is reverence and a persistence in these arts that have prevailed for centuries even despite all attempts to discredit them and discard any merit from their practices.  Being able to tap into your emotion so strongly is something that is not easy to learn, some would even argue that you can't learn it at all, there has to be the predisposition to be able to pursue it.  Divination I see like any other art, a form of expression made by those who are driven by expression, there is often no great intent behind the works of art created by painters and sculptors to tap into some deep rooted human connection, instead they make their art for themselves and share it with the world in the hope that it will inspire others.  A true artist does not tell you what their art represents, the art itself will do that, and you the viewer will form your own opinions and interpretations thereof.

Those who are not true artists often set out to assess what other people want and try to cater to their desires and their needs and produce artworks that although they have some merit in form and style, are often lacking in vision and empathy not because the creator was not talented in their craft but because there was no emotional connection between artist and art.  To be a true artist you need to form that connection, everything you do must be an extension of you, every stroke, every strike, every twist and turn must be an expression however great or small.  A true artist does not fill a canvass, they reveal what was already there, waiting to present itself.